Frederick D. Gregory piloted one shuttle mission with six fellow astronauts and a messy pack of rats and monkeys and then commanded two Defense Department flights - the first African-American to command a spaceship. He shifted into management and serve as NASA's deputy administrator...

The shuttle commander will answer your questions about his time in space (or here on Earth). The deadline to post your question (as a reply to this topic) is 9 a.m. EDT (1300 GMT) on Thursday, August 4.

Gregory will answer via video, which will be posted here and on ASF's website the following week.

Would you agree with George Abbey's preferential treatment of astronauts with Navy background vs Air Force background and were you disappointed to start with a Spacelab flight instead of a rendezvous/"sexier" mission that a lot of Navy rookie pilots got?

Tom

Cdr Gregory, how difficult was it back in 1989, not being able to discuss your first shuttle command due to security reasons? Thank you.

Greggy_D

What did you learn from Bob Overmyer, your Commander on your first flight STS-51B?

GoesTo11

quote:Originally posted by brianjbradley:Would you agree with George Abbey's preferential treatment of astronauts with Navy background vs Air Force background and were you disappointed to start with a Spacelab flight instead of a rendezvous/"sexier" mission that a lot of Navy rookie pilots got?

I'd just like to "second" this inquiry. Few USAF astronauts of the early Shuttle era, with the notable exception of Mike Mullane in his book, have publicly addressed the issue of (perceived) Navy over Air Force prejudice with respect to flight assignments during the Abbey regime. I'd greatly appreciate hearing any personal insight or anecdotes relating to this issue that COL Gregory might have to offer.

LM-12

If you wanted the Shuttle to orbit Earth in a constant payload-bay-down attitude, would orbital mechanics keep the payload bay facing Earth, or could that only be done using maneuvering thrusters?

Hart Sastrowardoyo

How much training did you and your crew do with David Griggs, the original pilot on STS-33 - and was it hard transitioning that training to working with John Blaha, who replaced Griggs?

As well, does a crew photo exist of the STS-33 crew with Griggs?

chappy

Why did you want to become an astronaut? Who is the best astronaut you worked with? Can you describe your boss John Young? He's my hero, thou I've never met him (it's my dream to meet John Young).

rjurek349

What do you think the Shuttle program's long-term legacy will be in the history of US manned space flight... and, do you have a favorite memento (PPK or otherwise...) from your three missions?

LM-12

You were in the left-hand seat on STS-33 and STS-44. Both flights landed at Edwards AFB. Was the STS-44 re-entry and landing more difficult because of the in-flight Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) failure?

issman1

I've read/seen interviews with your fellow astronaut Richard Covey, but what were your immediate thoughts as you witnessed Challenger destruct from the CAPCOM console in Mission Control?

LM-12

On the long glide back to Earth between re-entry and touchdown, how did all those Shuttle flights manage to avoid any conflicts with commercial aircraft traffic along the ground track?

Sometimes landing opportunities were waived off for an orbit or two, which would completely change the entry ground track flown. Sometimes the final decision to de-orbit was made late because of, for example, improving weather conditions at the landing site. How could they clear all that airspace on such short notice in those situations?

Dave Clow

What do you value most about your experience as an astronaut?

LM-12

How would you rate the T-38 as a training aircraft for NASA astronauts?

ASF1984

Hey cS'ers! Thanks for all the great questions — Colonel Gregory did an excellent job of answering as many as he could.